Potato-planter.



No. 709,660. Patented Sept. 23, 11902.

L. A. ASPINWALL. POTATO PLANTER.

(Application filed Feb. 3, 1902.)

(No Model.)

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LEWIS AUGUSTUS ASPINYVALL, OF JACKSON, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO ASPINWALLMANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF JACKSON, MICHIGAN,

A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN.

POTATO-PLANTER.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 709,660, dated September23, 1902.

Application filed February 3, 1902. Serial No. 92,240. N model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEWIS AUGUSTUS As- PINWALL, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Jackson, in the county of Jackson and State ofMichigan, have invented an Improvement in Potato-Planters, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My present invention relates to an improvement upon the devices setforth in Letters Patent granted to me September 25, 1900, No. 658,562,with the object of improving the pickers and concaves, preventing injuryto the potatoes, and making more positive the movements of the pickers,and, furthermore, preventing injury to the potato-chutein stony ground.In carrying out my invention the pickers each comprise pivoted bladesupon arms se-. cured to and extending substantially radial from the axleof the machine, and with said blades there are one or more prongs andcoacting rollers, said pickers being acted upon by a cam, as in myaforesaid patent, for removing the potatoes therefrom and delivering thesame to the chutes. I also employ concaves that are long and smooth andwithout ribs or corrugations, the picker devices moving in said concavesby the action of the potatoes and against the same as the prongspenetrate the potatoes or pieces thereof, and I connect the aforesaidchute and the plow by a runner in the form of a bent U-bar extendingbetween said parts and having a horizontal portion lying near theground, said runner being adapted to pass over stones or otherobstructions and to lift the parts clear of such obstructions, so thatthe same do not strike and injure the chute, and this runner also actsas a fertilizer-spreader. In the present machine I also employ a novelconstruction of marker-bar adapted to yield and alter its position incase the machine is moved backward and also to yield in striking anobstruction.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a partial side elevation and verticalsection of the principal parts of a potato-planter especiallyrepresenting the features of my present improvement. Fig. 2 is a partialvertical section through the magazinehopper and an elevation of theconcaves. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the concaves. Fig. 4 is a planof the same. Fig. 5 is a sectional plan on the line was of Fig. 3, andFig. 6 is a sectional plan on the line 1 y of Fig. 3. Fig. 7isasectional plan on the line z z of Fig. 1. Fig. 8 is a rearwise elevationof part of the marker device. Fig. 9 is a front edge view, and Fig. 10 arear edge view, of the picker device having one roller and two prongs;and Fig. 11 is a front edge View of the picker device having two rollersand one prong, Figs. 9, 10, and 11 being of larger size than the partsshown in Fig. 1.

The pole a is secured to the frame I) and the latter to a sleeve 1),surrounding an axle c, mounted upon wheels 0.

(9 represents the magazine-holder, and d a plow-frame to which the plowe is connected, and f represents lifter-bars pivoted to the plow-frameand adapted to be employed for raising and lowering the same, and g gare pairs of links at one end pivoted to the plow and generallyconstructed and employed as in my aforesaid patent.

h h are upper and lower parts of the chute for potatoes, the upper partit being connected to the plow-frame d by the bolt 2 and the bolt 3being employed for securing the parts of the chute together. The partshereinbefore described are similar in their construction and alike intheir functions to similar parts described and illustrated in myaforesaid patent.

't' represents the two slotted concaves, the parts of which are securedtogether and to and between the parts forming the magazine or hopper Z9These parts are also similar to those illustrated and described in myaforesaid patent. The slotted concaves as at present constructed aremade of greater length than those heretofore employed, and theirsurfaces are smooth and without ribs or corrugations, and they areinclined about as illustrated to agree substantially with the are oftravel of the pickers. I do not limit myself to dispensing with ribs orcorrugations.

represents a runner in the form of a bent bar of appropriate U form. Oneend of this bar is connected by a bolt 5 to the lower chute h and theopposite end of the bar by a bolt 4 to a part of the plow deviceadjacent to the point of connection thereof with the plowframe (1. Infact, this runner 70 comes between the inclined sides of the plow andsubstantially within the plow and extends rearward, the lower horizontalportion of which runner is substantially parallel with the ground whenthe parts rest upon the ground and are not performing their usualfunctions, and when the plow is at work and in the fur row the saidrunner comes near the base of the furrow. This runner forms a rigidconnection between the plow and the lower chute, and should there be astone or other obstruction in the earth which is struck by the plow saidrunner prevents said stone or obstruction coming up between the plow andthe chute in such position that the same would be struck by the chuteand the chute injured, as was liable to be the case with the device ofthe aforesaid patent, this runner performing the function in slidingover said obstruction of maintaining the parts above the level of thesaid obstruction, so that the potatochute passes clear and forward ofthe obstruction before the plow again nears the ground.

The marker-arm Zis pivotally connected to a head device 7 upon the sideof the pole at. This device is similar to that shown in my aforesaidpatent. Upon the marker-arm I employ a yoke 8,'which surrounds the armand is adjustably held thereto by two nuts at the back and which yoke atthe same time holds to the marker-arm a mortised approximately U-shapedplate 9, the same passing below the yoke and marker-arm to the forwardedge thereof and forming underneath the arm a cavity.

A blade Z, which is preferably of spring metal, is formed into an eye atthe upper end, and the same passes through the mortise of the plate 9,and a bolt 6 passes through the eye and through the sides of the saidplate 9 to pivotally connect the said blade Z in place. This blade isadapted to swing upon the bolt 6, and its motion is limited by themortise in the plate9. In Fig. 1 I have represented the extremepositions of the said blade Z by full and dotted lines, the full linesrepresenting the position of the blade when the potatoplanter is inoperation and the dotted lines the position in case the planter shouldbe moved backward.

Arms m are secured to and extend practically radially from a disk on thesleeve 1), and the picker devices each comprise plates n, that areriveted upon opposite sides of the arms m at their respective ends, andbetween these plates a there is a blade 0, pivoted at 11 to the plates nand slotted for the guidepin 12. The blade 0 carries one or more rollers13, and the arms m carry one or more prongs 10. In the uppermost of thepicker devices shown in Fig. 1 I have illustrated two rollers and oneprong, Fig. 11 being an edge view of the same, the other picker devicesillustrated in Fig. 1 containing one roller and two prongs, the samebeing further shown by the edge views, Figs. 9 and 10. It is entirelyoptional with me whether I employ two rollers and one prong or oneroller and two prongs, as either construction operates satisfactorily.

The cam-plate r, secured to the frame I) and employed to act against theback end of the picker-blades adjacent to the chute for actuating thesame, removing the potatoes progressively from the prongs and droppingthe same in the chute, is similar to the device shown in my aforesaidpatent.

I claim as my invention 1. In a potato-planter,the combination with theplow and the chute for delivering the potatoes, of a device rigidly andimmovably connected respectively to said parts, extending between thesame, and having a horizontal portion lying near the ground and adaptedto move with the plow and to come in contact with an obstruction toprevent injury to the chute, substantially as set forth.

2. In a potato-planter,the combination with the plow and the two-partchute and support, of a runner in the form of a bent bar having one endrigidly and immovably connected to the lower part of the chute and theopposite end rigidly and immovably connected to the plow devices, andhaving a horizontal portion lying near the ground and approximately onthe plane of the lower edge of the plow, and adapted to come in contactwith an obstruction passed by the plow so as to raise the chute andcarry the same over the obstruction and prevent injury thereto,substantially as set forth.

3. In a potato-planter,the combination with the axle and a disk and armsmounted thereon,of picker devices secured to the respective ends of saidarms and each comprising plates secured upon opposite sides thereof, ablade between the same and pivoted thereto and having a mortisereceiving a pin passing through the same and the outer plates, andaprong and coacting roller secured to said parts and acting to engage orpick up the potatoes and to remove the same, substantially as set forth.

4:. In apotato-planter,the combination with the axle and a disk and armsmounted thereon, of picker devices secured to the respective ends ofsaid arms and each comprising plates secured upon opposite sidesthereof, a blade between the same and pivoted thereto and having amortise receiving a pin passing through the same and the outer plates,prongs extending out from the arms and a roller secured to the centralblade and moving between said prongs, the prongs passing into ICC thepotatoes and said movement swinging the central blades and intermediateroller so as 5 to bring the advancing point of the central bladeadjacent to the prongs and the roller 5 acting in the reverse movementof the central Witnesses:

blade against the potatoes to remove the same W. O. SHANAFELT, from theprongs, substantially as set forth. 1 GEO. N. WHITNEY.

Signed by me this 18th day of December, 1901.

LEWIS AUGUSTUS ASPINWALL.

